18.04.12
Green Deals home requirements dropped
Prime Minister David Cameron has halted the compulsory elements of the Government’s Green Deal for homes, in a blow for the Liberal Democrats who supported the plans.
Proposals currently out to consultation will be rejected, dropping the requirement for homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient before undertaking improvements such as extensions – dubbed the ‘conservatory tax’ by the tabloid press.
The plans would have meant people seeking to implement such improvements would have been required to spend 10% of the cost of the main works on green measures such as upgrading insulation, a new boiler or better heating controls.
A government source told the Guardian: “The idea that people are going to be forced to improve their energy efficiency or install a new boiler because they want to extend their garage or make their house better is not going to happen. It is not policy now. It is out for consultation, but the prime minister is opposed to it, and it will not become policy. It is not fair to ordinary people trying to improve their homes.”
Around 200,000 domestic extensions, loft and integral garage conversions are carried out each year, which often result in increased energy use and carbon emissions.
Former energy secretaryChrisHuhne has publicly condemned those in Government trying to undo his work on the Green Deal.
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